Happily Harem After

by Amy Sumida

  “Blaise, come here.”

  The other two snarled angrily.

  “Stop it!” I snapped and they went still. “He has already learned to love me beyond pleasure. The two of you may be older, but you're not wiser, not in this. So, you'll watch for now, and hopefully learn something.”

  Blaise crawled onto the bed between my legs, his proud member already glistening with desire. I looked from it to his face, and then I spread my thighs wider and urged him closer.

  “Taste me,” I whispered to him.

  Blaise groaned and set his mouth to me. I cried out in ecstasy as his eager tongue lapped at me, his lips working me furiously. Lance and Audric came to opposites sides of the foot of the bed, gripping the bedposts as they watched their brother be rewarded for learning to love beyond jealousy. Lancelot's claws dug into the wood post as he growled, but Audric frowned as his shoulders started to relax. A soft smile began to spread over his lips.

  “Join us, Audric.” I held out my hand to him and he rushed over to me.

  Audric kissed me above as Blaise kissed me below, and between them, I felt luxuriously loved. I didn't care one whit that they were covered in fur or that their hands were tipped in claws. These were the men I loved, and love saw beyond the physical. That didn't mean that it couldn't enjoy physical sensation, though.

  I moaned into Audric's kiss as another shimmer flowed over us. Audric gasped and Blaise groaned, sending vibrations across my flesh that propelled me screaming over the edge of desire. The men held me tight as the proof of their love trembled in the air around us. Just one more beast to go.

  “Lance,” I moaned. “I'm right here. I love you. All you have to do is accept that I love your brothers too.”

  Lance snarled, his hands clenching in frustration, and the bedpost broke. He roared as he flung it away from him. I let him rage, ignoring him as I looked back to my other lovers. Blaise moved up from his position and slid to the side. He carefully took my breast in hand and began sucking on it with obvious delight.

  “Is she sweet, brother?” Audric asked Blaise.

  “Sweeter than summer fruit,” Blaise muttered around a mouthful of breast.

  “I must know for myself,” Audric declared as he dove between my legs.

  I held Blaise's head tightly to me as Audric spread my legs wider. He gripped me beneath the knees and lifted me to get a better angle.

  “Sweeter than summer fruit,” Audric murmured in agreement.

  “I cannot!” Lance raged on, throwing furniture around the room and smashing vases.

  Lance tossed a chair through the window with another enraged roar, and shouts filtered back in to us.

  “There it is!”

  “The monster!”

  “Break down the door!”

  We all froze and stared at each other in shock. Lance hurried to the window and looked down into the courtyard in front of the castle.

  “There are men down there,” he said to us with bafflement. “They seem to be angry and are armed with weapons.”

  “I see it!” Another man shouted. “The monster that killed Fabien!”

  “Oh, no,” I whispered and rushed out of bed.

  “Fabien?” Blaise asked.

  “The man who was attacking me,” I said as I hurried into my clothes. “They must have found his remains.”

  “They cannot think to take us,” Audric scoffed.

  “There are at least fifty of them down there, Brother,” Lance said grimly.

  “Surely not,” Audric went to the window and his eyes widened. “Dear God.”

  “Keep praying,” I said as I hurried to the door, “we may need all the help we can get.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Go back to your homes!” I shouted through the door. “We do not want to harm you.”

  “Sylvaine?” Theo called out. “Is that you?”

  “Theo, thank God! Tell these men to turn around and leave this place,” I begged him.

  “We found Fabien's body in the woods,” Theo shouted back. “Ease down, everyone, give me a moment.”

  The men shouted, and a thump came at the door.

  “Hey now! That's Sylvaine in there!”

  “If she's in there, then we must save her!” Another man cried out.

  “I do not need saving!” I shouted back. “I am here of my own free will. These are good men; please leave them be.”

  “That was not a man that I saw in the window,” someone else said. “Move back from the door, Sylvaine, we're coming through!”

  “Damn it all,” I turned and saw the brothers on the stairs behind me, looking grim and ready for battle. “Those are innocent people out there,” I said to them. “Your people.”

  “They're here to kill us,” Lance growled. “That makes them the opposite of our people.”

  “Because they found the mutilated body of their neighbor,” I said as another thud shook the doors. “Please, just hide.”

  “Hide?” Audric laughed. “This is our home; we are not letting those ruffians run rampant through it.”

  “And we are not letting them near you,” Blaise added. “We saw how well they treat you.”

  Another boom shook the castle and a crack formed in the door.

  “Damn your stubbornness,” I growled as I stalked away.

  “Where are you going?” Blaise called after me.

  “Let her go,” Lance said. “It's better if she isn't a part of this.”

  “Stupid men,” I muttered as I climbed out of a back window and headed toward the stables. “Do I have to do everything myself?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Father,” I cried as I jumped out of the saddle. “I need your help!”

  My father and sisters rushed out of the house, eyes wide with surprise.

  “What's happened, Sylvie?” Bianca asked.

  “The villagers are attacking my beasts,” I stammered. “I have to save them.”

  My father stared at me steadily for a long moment and then nodded his head. Our family knew all about angry mobs. It was the whole reason we had moved here, all those years ago. We had fled a horde of vicious townspeople... after they had murdered my mother.

  My sisters narrowed their eyes as they all started to smile maliciously. This may not be the mob that killed our mother, but it would do. Violence has a way of paying itself forward.

  “I'm not moving again,” Anne, my youngest sister, said. “Not unless it's into that big castle of yours, Sylvaine.”

  I smiled brightly at her and nodded. “Then we'd best go and save it from being burned to the ground.”

  “I hate the smell of smoke,” Bianca said. “It's nearly impossible to get out of the drapes.”

  “Armor up, my daughters,” my father said, his entire demeanor changing from that of a middle-aged merchant to a warrior in his prime, “the time has come for us to fight.”

  I flexed my shoulders, threw back my head, and howled.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The forest blurred beneath my paws as I raced toward my lovers. My pack closed in around me, my father leaping into the lead. I scented the breeze and felt the briefest sense of relief that there was no smoke upon it. But then I smelled blood, and my body shivered. I howled as we broke free of the forest. The mob froze, and then turned to look at us.

  The villagers had just made it past the main doors, and they had been focused on the beasts before them. They thought they had cornered some vicious animals, never knowing that they were being herded together like cattle. They stumbled about in confusion. Half of them headed further into the castle while the rest gathered their courage to face us. It was brave of them, I'll give them that; facing down a pack of werewolves.

  I shifted as I ran, transforming from pure wolf into a blend of woman and beast. I was twice my normal height in this form, muscles bulging beneath my pale, gray fur, and my paws were tipped with razor-sharp claws. I was just as terrifying as my beastly princes. Perhaps even more so.

  My f
amily shifted as well, causing the villagers to cringe in terror. We howled and then bared our teeth in warning to them. Deep inside, we knew that these were not the people we wanted to hurt, but if they did not back down, if they continued to threaten the men I loved, I would hurt them... badly.

  Some of them scattered in all directions. We leapt through the leftovers and sent them fleeing in fright as well. But there was still a great number within the castle, and from the sounds of it, they were already engaging my lovers. I howled in rage and barreled into the mob.

  Then I saw him; Lancelot was surrounded by ten men brandishing swords. They sliced at him and stabbed at him, while he tore at the air with his paws. There were already slashes in his pelt, and the scent of his blood was strong in my nose. I growled, and Lance's gaze went to mine, his eyes widening in shock. I tore through the men surrounding him until I reached Lancelot, and then I put my back to his, and we fought off the men together.

  “Sylvaine?” Lance glanced at me over his shoulder. “Is that you?”

  “Hey, honey,” I growled. “Surprise.”

  Lance started laughing, but then we heard a high-pitched whimper, and his mirth was cut off abruptly.

  “Blaise!” Lance shouted.

  Lance shoved men aside, slamming them into walls, as he cleared a path for us, straight to his brother. We found Blaise cornered by several men wielding spears, one of the weapons was already lodged in his shoulder. Blaise bared his teeth and growled, but the men just kept stabbing at him. We knocked the villagers aside as my family joined us, and then I heard another familiar voice coming from my left.

  “Blaise!” Audric tossed a man over his head and then came running over to us.

  The last group of men were those attacking Blaise, everyone else had picked up their unconscious friends and ran away. We surrounded these remaining men and destroyed them. There was no retreat for the spear-wielders, not after what they'd done to Blaise.

  After the men were dead, I shifted into human form and raced forward, sliding beneath Blaise and pulling his head onto my chest. He moaned and reached weakly for the spear in his shoulder. There was another lodged in his hip. Blaise's brothers knelt beside us as my father looked on grimly.

  “Do it,” Blaise hissed. “Just pull them out.”

  Audric and Lance looked at each other, then at me. I nodded, and they each grabbed a spear. With perfect timing, they removed the spears together, and Blaise shouted in pain. I cried and put my hands tightly over the wounds.

  “Get some cloth to bind these with,” I said to the brothers, but they just stared at Blaise sadly. “Go!”

  “He won't survive this,” Audric said gently. “That's a gut wound, Sylvie.”

  “They're right,” my father had shifted to his human form and was standing behind Lance. “It would be better to kill him quickly.”

  “No,” I cried as blood seeped between my fingers. “No, he won't die. He won't. We haven't broken the curse yet.”

  “Blaise, I'm so sorry,” Lance whispered brokenly as he knelt by Blaise's side. “I don't know why I was jealous of you. It was foolish. You're my brother, I love you. You deserve Sylvaine's love just as much as I or Audric. I'm so damn sorry.”

  “I love you too, Lancelot,” Blaise said weakly. “I love you all.” His gaze went from Lance to Audric to me. “So much.” His eyes fixed on mine. “It was still worth it,” he whispered and then his gaze settled into place.

  “No, Blaise. Please, no!” I sobbed and shook him, but he was already gone.

  Audric and Lance bowed their heads over us and wept openly as my family watched in respectful silence.

  Then the most amazing thing happened. A shiver trembled through the air and across our skin. We all froze as the unmistakable feeling of magic filled the room. Then it picked up in strength and speed, circling us faster and faster. It condensed around the three princes and started to glow. The light became so bright that I had to close my eyes against it, but I could feel the changes in Blaise's body.

  The third heart had been opened like a blossoming rose, and the curse was broken at last.

  When the glow finally faded, I opened my eyes to find two of the most handsome men I'd ever seen. One was kneeling nearby. He had oak-brown hair and eyes of the darkest blue. His face had the rugged lines of a pensive man, but his body had the build of a warrior. The man who stood beside him had sin-black hair which went well with his sensuous lips, and eyes that were a velvety soft, blue-gray with long, heavy lashes. He was slightly slimmer than his brother, but still thickly muscled.

  Then I looked down.

  The man I held was fair of skin and hair, with cheeks still flushed with the kiss of youth. His body was sleek and trim; a man built more for leisure than labor. His was the face statues were modeled after, a visage that made women sigh and girls giggle. His blond hair fell haphazardly over his light blue eyes, and I pushed it away gently. He was staring at me, just as he had done in death, but then he blinked.

  “Sylvaine,” Blaise whispered. “Did I die? Are we in Heaven?”

  “Yes,” I said with a sob. “You died, but we're not in Heaven. You came back to me.”

  “She broke the curse,” Lance declared. I knew it was him immediately; his eyes and voice gave him away. “Sylvaine has freed us.”

  “You freed us,” Audric corrected with a pat on his brother's shoulder. “You let go of your jealousy, Lance.”

  “And it had nothing to do with me, did it?” I smirked at him.

  “No,” Lance whispered as he stared at Blaise. “I needed to realize that I love my brother just as much as I love you.”

  “Welcome back to humanity, my Beast-Princes,” I said.

  “Thank you,” they murmured with wonder.

  We checked Blaise over, just to be certain that his wounds had healed completely in the transformation, and then my family came forward to join in our amazement and joy.

  “I'm sorry,” Blaise said. “Did I imagine it, or is Sylvaine a werewolf?”

  We all burst out laughing.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Moments after the curse was broken, the palace filled with people. It took us a few minutes to notice them, they were standing around so silently, just sort of awestruck. Then we stared at the men and women around us, shocked yet again. These newcomers began to cry, laugh, and hug each other.

  “Martha?” Blaise called out.

  “Yes, Sire,” a woman bobbed a curtsy at Blaise. “We're all here.”

  “How?” Audric asked. “Where did you come from?”

  “We've been here all along, Your Highness,” a man said. “The curse turned us invisible, so we couldn't speak with you or any woman who might try to save you. We weren't allowed to influence matters. But we've always been here, looking after you.”

  “The witch gave us a choice,” another man added. “We could leave or we could remain here and help you through this.”

  “Why?” Audric asked. “Why would you stay when the court fled?”

  “You are good boys,” a matronly woman chided him. “Most of us have watched you grow into men, and we know your hearts. Your parents' death may have changed you, but we knew you'd come back to us, Your Highness. It was just a matter of time.”

  “I have served this family for all of my life,” the first man who spoke said. “I was loyal to the King and Queen, and they were good to me. I could never abandon their children in their hour of need.”

  “Thank you, Pierre,” Lance went over to the man and hugged him.

  The man's eyes went wide and shocked before he gently patted Lance's back. “You're most welcome, Your Majesty. It's our honor to serve.”

  “Your Majesty”–another man came forward and bowed–“we have seen what happened with the villagers.” He looked pointedly at the remains. “Might I make a suggestion?”

  “Of course, Talbot,” Lance said. “What is it?”

  “Might I recommend that you post an announcement proclaiming that you and your brothers
have been trapped by an evil witch and her monsters?” Talbot said. “The young lady and her family freed you, and then together, you dispatched the beasts and saved your kingdom.”

  Lancelot smiled and looked to me.

  “Your servants aren't just loyal, they're wise,” I noted.

  Talbot blushed and gave me a bow.

  “Do it,” Lance agreed. “But that will be your last act as my servant.”

  “Your Majesty?” Talbot's face fell.

  “None of you are servants here any longer,” Lance went on. “My court fled but all of you remained, and that loyalty is valuable to me. I need you to become my new court, so that I may surround myself with people I can trust.”

  “But who will care for the palace, Your Majesty?” Pierre asked.

  “All right, I'll need you to hire new servants for us before you leave my employ.” Lance chuckled. “And while you're hiring them, be sure to find someone capable of organizing a wedding.”

  “Your wedding, Your Majesty?” Martha looked hopeful.

  Lance looked at Audric and Blaise, who nodded at him.

  “Our wedding,” Lancelot said. “My brothers and I are marrying Sylvaine.”

  The crowd gaped at their king for a few moments before bursting into cheers, my family included. I was the only one who scowled at the princes. Oh, excuse me, two princes and a king.

  “What's wrong?” King Lancelot asked me.

  “We're getting married, are we?” I huffed. “I don't recall you asking.”

  “Sylvaine,” Lance snarled, “you have controlled us from the very beginning, but in this, I will have my way. We are getting married, and that is final.”

  “That was a horrible proposal!” I shouted.

  “I love you!” Lance shouted back.

  “I love you too!”

  “Then marry me, god-damn it!”

  “All right!”

  “All right?” Lance simmered down and smiled. “You'll marry us; all three of us?”